Pleasure boat owners often reflect on the possibility of their boat foundering while moored and unmanned or perhaps even underway because of catastrophic ontake of water. This may occur because of storm conditions, failure of any through-the-hull intake or outlet, failure of bilge pumps or non-reported accident.
As is well known, boats have a propensity for taking on water either through seepage around poor through-the-hull fittings or in the case of wooden boats between hull strakes. Most often such seepage is considered normal and is managed at a minimal level by self-activated powered (most often battery) bilge pumps which are usually mounted in the boat's bilge.
Under normal or usual circumstances the bilge pump is able to maintain the minimal water level. However in unusual circumstances, for example in inboard powered boats which are on underway and on plane with external water cooling the rupture of the water outlet hose will quickly flood the engine compartment and bilge before the boat slows and comes off plane. If the engine continues to operate it will continue to pump water until the boat founders or sinks. The boat's engine may continue to operate because the engine's wiring is designed to operate when wet thus does not short out. Unless shut down by the crew, the engine will continue to operate until water is drawn into the engine. In either case a serious situation that can cause loss of life and less importantly loss of the boat.
Similarly, in the case of the unmanned moored or docked boat massive water uptake may occur because of failure of hatches, through-the-hull inlets/outlets, the hull results in potential loss of a boat.
A number of prior art references propound to have developed systems directed at solving the problem. For whatever reason none of these systems have become commercially available leaving the boat owner at the mercy of chance or to devise systems of their own.